Soup and Pinot Noir

For this food and wine matching exercise we roped in the skills of Franck Dangereux of La Colombe in Constantia, who recently placed third in the Gourmand World Cookbook awards with his book Feast.

His reaction when asked to whip up a dish to accompany the top-rated Pinot Noir in this month's tasting, the Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 2003, was immediate. "Fantastic! I think a really hearty, thick soup with beans and sausage - like my dad used to have - would be perfect with Pinot Noir, especially the rich flavours of the Hamilton Russell."

So a bottle was dispatched to the chef for tasting and experimental purposes and after sampling, this is what he has come up with. "Just one thing I must say though," he says, "and people are going to think this is a bit strange... But it's what you do in France because this is a peasant dish! You take your last sip of wine, and you pour it in your soup bowl - there's only a little bit of soup left too - and you drink it direct from the bowl. Forget the spoon. Lift it up to your mouth and finish the soup. That's how people do it in France."

Dangereux also notes that he would normally use a Toulouse sausage (saucisse de Toulouse) but these are generally not available locally. "But there are lots of really good Italian butchers around and the cotechino is very similar in texture and flavour."

Bon Apetit - and don't forget to pair it with a bottle of HRV Pinot Noir.

 

Recipe
(For four people)

Ingredients
1 cotechino (a fat Italian sausage, Dangereux says, used raw)
1 free-range chicken (with drumstick, legs and breasts detached)
200g dried white beans (soaked overnight)
2 large carrots (cut "paysanne", which Dangereux says is about the width of the index fingernail...)
1 bunch celery (table NOT soup! And stalks only, not the tops...)
1 large onion
2 medium Savoy Cabbages (outer leaves removed), quartered and put in cold water
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme and some of the celery tops)

Soak the beans overnight, ensuring they are fully covered.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (with a lid) place a knob of butter and a bit of olive oil. Once hot and bubbly, toss in the carrots, chopped onion and chopped celery. Cook and stir until onions are nearly transparent.

Add the beans and the water that's left from overnight soaking, along with the bouquet garni, garlic, chicken carcass (not the legs, drumsticks and breasts yet), the cotechino and two litres of water.

Whatever you do, DON'T add any salt - the beans won't cook if you do...

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook without the lid for an hour (to cook the beans and allow the water to evaporate a bit). Then you put in the cabbage and remaining chicken pieces though there's probably enough meat for 4 people without adding the breasts. "Use them for another meal or another dish," suggests Dangereux. He also says you can season the drumsticks and wings with salt and brown in a saucepan if you like - it's a matter of personal preference. "And the salt won't affect the beans at this stage."

Put the lid on the pot and continue the slow simmer for 45 minutes. By this stage everything will be well cooked and the meat will be falling off the chicken bones.

Remove the carcass and the chicken pieces, take out the bones, and return the meat to the pot. Now it's time to season the soup - just a bit of salt and pepper to taste. "Also, soup is a personal thing - some people like thick soups, others like them less thick, in which case you can add a bit of water."

To serve, ladle the soup into four bowls, ensuring that everyone has a goodly portion of beans, cabbage and chicken meat. "You also slice the cotechino to ensure that it's evenly shared between the four bowls - and you finish off with a drizzle of olive oil in each bowl."

Voila!